Sunday, June 4, 2017

78 Marawi residents rescued by gov't forces

About 78 individuals from Marawi City were rescued on Saturday night, June 3, 2017 by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and fetched by the local government unit of Naawan thru the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC), together with the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The evacuees arrived in Iligan City at around 10:00 p.m. and immediately proceeded to Naawan and Initao Municipal Police Stations while others went to their respective municipalities.

The PNP personnel have also conducted profiling of the evacuees.

It was learned that out of the 78 rescued evacuees, 14 were able to get back home in Naawan, and more than 20 individuals in the municipality of Initao, while others were from the different areas in Mindanao.

Naawan Mayor Jaime Roa of Naawan relayed that the rescued evacuees were provided with food packs and other assistance. Some of the evacuees were lactating mothers.

Paul Cezzane Abrea, MDRRM officer of Naawan also shared that the evacuees from Marawi City have sought refuge from a detachment of the 103rd Brigade, Philippine Army for days and wanted to move out from Marawi City.

They also claimed that they were given sacks of rice for consumption by their thoughtful rice mill employer as they have lost their jobs due to the prevailing situation in Marawi City.

Also, Lina Suoong, one of the rescued evacuees and a mother of a 2-year old girl expressed that the existence of the Maute group in Marawi City has forced them to leave their homes, along with their relatives.

She further elaborated that they have been hearing gunshots from outside the detachment, but decided to take the risk and move out from the area.

“Pila mi kaadlaw nag-stay sa sulod sa detachment sa Philippine Army para lang masegurado among safety. Pasalamat mi sa mga army nga nag-atiman namo maski paman sa delikadong kahimtang namo sa Marawi (We stayed for days in a detachment of the Philippine Army just to ensure our safety. We are thankful that the army in-charge accommodated us well despite the risk in Marawi),” prompted Suoong.

It was also learned from the statements of the evacuees that there are still several individuals and families left to be rescued in Marawi City until this time.